Comparing the efficacy of intra-articular injection of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) with corticosteroids (CS) in patients with chronic zygapophyseal joint low back pain confirmed by double intra-articular diagnostic blocks: A triple-blinded randomized multicentric controlled trial with a 6-month follow-up.

Objective: To compare the safety and effectiveness in improving function and reducing pain of autologous PRP to corticosteroid (CS) zygapophyseal (Z-joint) intra-articular (IA) injections at six months for patients with chronic osteoarthritis Z-joint mediated low back pain (LBP).

Design: Prospective triple-blinded multicentric randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Fifty participants with radiological signs of Z-joint OA and chronic Z-joint mediated LBP confirmed by a ≥80 % pain improvement after two IA local anesthetic injections were randomized into PRP and CS groups, using a 1:1 ratio.

Pathologists Providing Direct Patient Care in Thoracic Transplant: Same Objective, Different Scope.

Context.—: Cardiac and pulmonary allograft recipients represent a unique population, frequently interacting with support groups and exhibiting intense curiosity about their pathology. Like other solid organ transplant patients, they have enduring and frequent interaction with the laboratory for routine allograft surveillance.